Catholic News 2
BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. has agreed to deploy more than 200 additional troops to Iraq and to send Apache helicopters for the first time into the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq, the first major increase in U.S. forces in nearly a year, U.S. defense officials said Monday....
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese in Nigeria has lamented the trading of blame by officials while ordinary citizens continue to suffer.The Bishop has called on the Nigerian government of President Muhammadu Buhari elected in March 2015, to stop apportioning blame to the previous administration and get on with the task of improving the lives of Nigerians. Speaking recently to the people of Sokoto about the spirit of Easter, Bishop Kukah said hunger among citizens was, in fact, the worst form of corruption that could ever face any nation.“Fixing the Nigerian economy remains a mirage as today’s experts blame yesterday’s consultants. Both leaders and policy makers are trading blame while the lives of ordinary citizens continue to hang precariously.” Bishop Kukah added, “We are tired of all the cacophony of voices that have turned our suffering into a laboratory for theoretical experimentations. What we want to know is how to put food on the tab...
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese in Nigeria has lamented the trading of blame by officials while ordinary citizens continue to suffer.
The Bishop has called on the Nigerian government of President Muhammadu Buhari elected in March 2015, to stop apportioning blame to the previous administration and get on with the task of improving the lives of Nigerians. Speaking recently to the people of Sokoto about the spirit of Easter, Bishop Kukah said hunger among citizens was, in fact, the worst form of corruption that could ever face any nation.
“Fixing the Nigerian economy remains a mirage as today’s experts blame yesterday’s consultants. Both leaders and policy makers are trading blame while the lives of ordinary citizens continue to hang precariously.” Bishop Kukah added, “We are tired of all the cacophony of voices that have turned our suffering into a laboratory for theoretical experimentations. What we want to know is how to put food on the table. Hunger is the worst form of corruption any nation can live with,” the Bishop said.
Nevertheless, Bishop Kukah urged Nigerians not to lose hope for a better tomorrow.
“Just when we thought we had woken up to a new dawn, we realise now that yesterday’s litany of woes is still with us. Fear still grips the land. It is tempting to ask, is this the change we voted for? However, rather than lose hope and concede to the cynics, let us pause for a moment in the spirit of Easter to reflect on our situation,” the Bishop encouraged Nigerians.
Bishop Kukah challenged Nigerians to keep working together to better the nation.
“In moments of hopelessness, we often evoke nostalgia to romanticise the past, sedate our imagination and pretend that yesterday was better than today. But, like the Israelites, we must continue with this desert walk till we see the promised end; as the Israelites, if we want change, better days, freedom, we all have to pay the price for this by our sacrifices,” the Bishop emphasised.
Looking at the challenges of the country in the context of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, Bishop Kukah said repentance was a precondition to gaining God’s mercy and forgiveness and as such all Nigerians need to come before the Lord in repentance.
“Repentance is never an end in itself. Repentance is only a precondition, a path towards gaining God’s mercy and forgiveness. In turn, forgiveness is the stepping-stone to reconciliation. Reconciliation waters the ground and allows justice to flow like a river (Amos 5:24).” The Bishop added, “Therefore, all of us, as individuals, families and communities must genuinely seek the face of God in personal penance” (Ps. 27:8).
Bishop Kukah cautioned Nigerians: “Mere religiosity, endless prayers, gold rosary beads, pilgrimages, incense, are no substitute for heeding the words of Jesus that, only the pure of heart shall see God (Matt. 5:8). Only repentance can guarantee that,” The Ordinary of Sokoto diocese said.
(CNSNg.org)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(Vatican Radio) Search and rescue teams are continuing to hunt for survivors after a devastating earthquake in Ecuador. Those who did survive sought shelter beside the rubble of their collapsed homes.The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday killing at least 272 people and injuring over 2 thousand others. There are fears the death toll will rise further.The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa cut short a visit to Italy return to the country saying in a televised address, “this is the greatest tragedy in the last 67 years".Coastal areas nearest the epicenter were hit hardest, especially Pedernales, a tourist spot with beaches.Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane’s spokesperson for the International Federation for the Red Cross, Benoit Carpentier said they have teams on the ground responding to the disaster.Listen: “We have the Ecuadorian Red Cross who is present in the country… there are about 800 ...
(Vatican Radio) Search and rescue teams are continuing to hunt for survivors after a devastating earthquake in Ecuador. Those who did survive sought shelter beside the rubble of their collapsed homes.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday killing at least 272 people and injuring over 2 thousand others. There are fears the death toll will rise further.
The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa cut short a visit to Italy return to the country saying in a televised address, “this is the greatest tragedy in the last 67 years".
Coastal areas nearest the epicenter were hit hardest, especially Pedernales, a tourist spot with beaches.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane’s spokesperson for the International Federation for the Red Cross, Benoit Carpentier said they have teams on the ground responding to the disaster.
Listen:
“We have the Ecuadorian Red Cross who is present in the country… there are about 800 volunteers that have been mobilized to respond to the emergency.”
He also said health teams and hospital units had been mobilized and a Disaster Response team has been deployed to carry out an assessment of the humanitarian needs following the quake.
There have been a serious of aftershocks since the earthquake struck which was also felt in Columbia.
Rebel leader Riek Machar has postponed to Tuesday his expected return to the South Sudan capital of Juba. Rebel spokesperson, William Ezekiel was quoted by the media waiting for Machar at Juba's airport that the trip had been postponed to Tuesday. He cited "logistical reasons." The spokesman emphasised that the rebels were still committed to the peace process.AFP reports that Riek Machar was due in Juba Monday to take up office as first Vice President of South Sudan rekindling some hope for the peace agreement signed in August 2015 by the warring factions. The agreement provided for a cease-fire and a power-sharing mechanism in South Sudan.Riek Machar has previously served as South Sudan’s first Vice-President from July 2011 at Independence. His sacking by President Salva Kiir set in motion the start of the post-independence conflict. Machar was due to arrive in Juba from his base of Pagak in the eastern part of South Sudan bordering Ethiopia. He has not s...
Rebel leader Riek Machar has postponed to Tuesday his expected return to the South Sudan capital of Juba. Rebel spokesperson, William Ezekiel was quoted by the media waiting for Machar at Juba's airport that the trip had been postponed to Tuesday. He cited "logistical reasons." The spokesman emphasised that the rebels were still committed to the peace process.
AFP reports that Riek Machar was due in Juba Monday to take up office as first Vice President of South Sudan rekindling some hope for the peace agreement signed in August 2015 by the warring factions. The agreement provided for a cease-fire and a power-sharing mechanism in South Sudan.
Riek Machar has previously served as South Sudan’s first Vice-President from July 2011 at Independence. His sacking by President Salva Kiir set in motion the start of the post-independence conflict.
Machar was due to arrive in Juba from his base of Pagak in the eastern part of South Sudan bordering Ethiopia. He has not set foot in Juba since the start of the war in December 2013.
The expected return of Riek Machar to Juba rekindles hope for a fragile peace agreement. South Sudan plunged into civil war in December 2013 when fighting broke out in the national army, plagued by political and ethnic strife fueled by the rivalry at the head of the regime between President Salva Kiir and his first Vice President Riek Machar.
Since the fighting started two years ago, more than two million people have been displaced and tens of thousands killed as a result of the fighting.
On Sunday, Reuters said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had phoned both President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar and urged them to form quickly a transitional government aimed at ending the conflict.
In his call to Kiir, Ban praised the decision to welcome Machar back in Juba and "called for the expeditious implementation of the security arrangements" including the withdrawal of Kiir's SPLA troops from Juba.
Speaking with Machar, Ban welcomed Machar's decision to return to Juba and "urged him to work with President Kiir to prevent any further violence."
The arrival of Machar and a working Transitional Government of National Unity will be crucial steps in the peace process.
(Agencies, Vatican Radio)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Mass on Monday morning in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. Following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father offered some reflections on the theme of docility to Christ, who is the door through which we must pass if we would enter into eternal life, the way we must take if we are to reach eternal life, and the voice of the teacher who has words of eternal life.Click below to hear our report Drawing especially on the Reading from the Gospel according to St. John (Jn. 10:1-10), Pope Francis recalled the Lord’s words – at once a warning and a promise – echoing the readings of Good Shepherd Sunday the day before. “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,” but tries another way, “is a thief and a robber,” he said. Christ is the door, stressed Pope Francis, “and there is no other.”Always ask ourselves if we take decisions in the name of JesusPope Francis went on to note the...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Mass on Monday morning in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. Following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father offered some reflections on the theme of docility to Christ, who is the door through which we must pass if we would enter into eternal life, the way we must take if we are to reach eternal life, and the voice of the teacher who has words of eternal life.
Click below to hear our report
Drawing especially on the Reading from the Gospel according to St. John (Jn. 10:1-10), Pope Francis recalled the Lord’s words – at once a warning and a promise – echoing the readings of Good Shepherd Sunday the day before. “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,” but tries another way, “is a thief and a robber,” he said. Christ is the door, stressed Pope Francis, “and there is no other.”
Always ask ourselves if we take decisions in the name of Jesus
Pope Francis went on to note the simplicity of the language with which Jesus addresses His teachings to the people – a simplicity of imagery that conveys profound truths in a powerful way. “Jesus,” he said, “always spoke to people with simple images: all those people knew what a shepherd’s life was like, because they saw it every day.” They also understood, therefore, what it meant to say, “you enter only through the gate of the sheep pen,” and that anyone trying to get in by any other way was up to no good:
“The Lord thus clearly says: you cannot enter eternal life by any entryway that is not the door – that is not Jesus. He is the door of our life – and not only of eternal life, but also of our daily lives. Any decision I take, I take either in the name of Jesus, passing by way of the door of Jesus, or I take it a little – shall we say in simple language – through the smuggler’s hatch [It. contrabbando]? We enter the enclosure through the door, which is Jesus.”
Follow Jesus, not fortune tellers and alleged visionaries
Jesus continued, therefore, speak of the way. The shepherd knows His sheep and leads them out: “He walks in front of them, and the sheep follow him.” The journey is just that, the Pope said, “following Jesus” on the “path of life, the life of every day,” and we need not fear being misled, when we follow Him as He shows us the way:
“Those who follow Jesus do nor err! ‘Oh, Father, yes, but things are difficult ... So many times I do not see clearly what to do ... I was told that there was a seer and I went there and I went there; I went to the [fortune teller], who turned the cards to me ...’ If you do this, you do not follow Jesus. You follow another, who shows you another way, a different way. Jesus shows the way forward: there is no other who can show the way.’ Jesus has warned us: ‘There will be others who will say the way of the Messiah is this, this, this [other way]: do not listen. Do not hear them. I am the way.’ Jesus is the door and also the path: if we follow Him we shall not go astray.”
We can hear the voice of Jesus in the Beatitudes
Pope Francis then focused on the voice of the Good Shepherd. “The sheep, he said, “follow Him because they know his voice.” Only, how can we know the voice of Jesus, and even defend ourselves “from the voices of those who are not Jesus, those entering through the window, who are bandits, who [seek to] destroy and deceive you?”:
“I will tell you the recipe, [it is] simple: you will find the voice of Jesus in the Beatitudes. Should someone make to teach you a way contrary to the Beatitudes, [know] that such a one is one who has entered through the window: it is not Jesus! Second: you would know the voice of Jesus? You may know it when that voice speaks of the works of mercy. For example, in chapter 25 of St Matthew: if someone tells you what Jesus says there, that is the voice of Jesus. Third: you may know it is the voice of Jesus when it teaches you to say ‘Father’, that is, when it teaches you to pray the Our Father.”
Pope Francis concluded, saying that the Christian life is really quite easy: Jesus is the door; He guides us along the Way, and we know His voice in the Beatitudes, in the works of mercy and when it teaches us to say ‘Father’. “The door, the path and the voice,” said Pope Francis. “May the Lord make us understand that this is Jesus, this is the icon of Him: the pastor who leads, who shows the way, and teaches us to listen to His voice.”
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle, President of Caritas Internationalis, urges us to remember that refugees are more than numbers or statistics.Reacting to Pope Francis’ visit to Lesbos on Saturday, Cardinal Tagle told Vatican Radio that he is sure many people have been touched by the Pope's words and actions. He said it reminded him of a trip he himself made last October to visit refugees in Idomini, Greece, where he noticed “how much the people, even the non-Christians, appreciated the love, humanity, and concern the Church has been extending to them.”Listen to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti speaking with Cardinal Tagle about the Pope’s symbolic trip to Lesbos. Listen: Cardinal Tagle spoke positively of the visit’s impact, noting how it had no agenda. “There is no effort to win or convince people to become Christians or to give us something in return for anything good being given. This is pure, sincere...
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle, President of Caritas Internationalis, urges us to remember that refugees are more than numbers or statistics.
Reacting to Pope Francis’ visit to Lesbos on Saturday, Cardinal Tagle told Vatican Radio that he is sure many people have been touched by the Pope's words and actions. He said it reminded him of a trip he himself made last October to visit refugees in Idomini, Greece, where he noticed “how much the people, even the non-Christians, appreciated the love, humanity, and concern the Church has been extending to them.”
Listen to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti speaking with Cardinal Tagle about the Pope’s symbolic trip to Lesbos.
Listen:
Cardinal Tagle spoke positively of the visit’s impact, noting how it had no agenda. “There is no effort to win or convince people to become Christians or to give us something in return for anything good being given. This is pure, sincere love. And that is the best testimony and the best witness to God, who is love.”
The Holy Father, he says, was also very "touched and confirmed in his faith."
Refugees, volunteers can teach us lessons "about being human"
“I thought we were the ones giving to the people. But it is the refugees and also the volunteers who teach us lessons about being human, about being dignified, and about being hopeful,” the Cardinal adds.
In light of Pope Francis’ call for mercy in the Jubilee year, Cardinal Tagle believes that actions are merciful when our hearts “see human beings” first. “The Holy Father, and others working in those camps are showing to the world that the external action, the work, is important but it must come from a merciful heart.” The trip, he says, reminds us that the refugees and migrants “are not just numbers and statistics. Our hearts must see human beings in them, so the work is really a merciful act. It’s not just some sort of obligation but really an act of compassion- It is ‘I see a brother, I see a sister, I see a neighbour.’”
Service to those in need can replace "fear of the other"
When asked if he thinks this visit will awaken the hearts and minds of Europeans, Cardinal Tagle expresses hope that the “fear of migrants” will be diminished. “Fear is often baseless, with no foundation,” he says. “When you ask people who are afraid of accepting some of the migrants and refugees if they have encountered a refugee or a migrant first-hand, they say no, they have not. But when you do encounter them, you see that children are just like any children who are hungry and get tired. And you see that mothers and fathers running away from war are just like our own fathers and mothers who long for a peaceful life for their children. With this, hopefully the fear will disappear and diminish, and we will see a way by which we can be of service to each other.”
(Vatican Radio) Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Ecuador Saturday causing widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure in the country’s coastal region. At least 272 people died in the destruction and 2,068 others were injured. In a televised address to the nation, Ecuador’s visibly shaken President Rafael Correa said he feared those numbers would increase. “Ecuador has been hit tremendously hard... This is the greatest tragedy in the last 67 years," "There are signs of life in much of the rubble and that is the priority."Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is working with local partners in Ecuador to provide assistance to those who need it. The aid agency says water, food and emergency shelter will be the biggest needs in the coming days. “Some of the poorest provinces are located near the coast and we expect thousands of people to need immediate help,&rdq...
(Vatican Radio) Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Ecuador Saturday causing widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure in the country’s coastal region. At least 272 people died in the destruction and 2,068 others were injured.
In a televised address to the nation, Ecuador’s visibly shaken President Rafael Correa said he feared those numbers would increase.
“Ecuador has been hit tremendously hard... This is the greatest tragedy in the last 67 years," "There are signs of life in much of the rubble and that is the priority."
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is working with local partners in Ecuador to provide assistance to those who need it. The aid agency says water, food and emergency shelter will be the biggest needs in the coming days. “Some of the poorest provinces are located near the coast and we expect thousands of people to need immediate help,” said Tom Hollywood, CRS’ Representative for South America.
Heavy rainfall has complicated access to affected areas
CRS reports that Esmeraldas and Manabí, two of the hardest hit areas, have received substantial rainfall recently, making them prone to potential landslides which is complicating access. “Roads going out to the coast are typically not very good and with potential landslides, getting to the affected areas will be a challenge. Areas that are already poor and have been hammered by El Nino rains now have to deal with the aftermath of a major earthquake,” Hollywood said.
At the weekend, communications were down or intermittent in many parts of the country further complicating the logistics of assessing the damage and where the biggest needs are.
The quake’s epicenter was 16 miles southeast of the coastal town of Muisne, and tremors could be felt as far away as Quito, the country’s capital 100 miles to the south.
Given the range of impact on a relatively large geographical swath of the country, CRS is coordinating with several actors and partners to determine which areas need to be assessed first.
This is the strongest earthquake Ecuador has experienced since an earthquake 1979 that triggered tsunamis and killed up to 600 people.
CRS - 50 years of first response experience in Ecuador
CRS has worked in Ecuador since the 1960s. Over the past five years, CRS has greatly invested in training Caritas diocesan members on risk mapping, contingency planning, first responders, and other measures in areas prone to flooding, seismic activity, and extreme weather. CRS also has ongoing programming in the affected areas with the Scalabrini Mission Sisters that provides critical humanitarian, psychological, social and legal aid to Colombian refugees.
CHICAGO (AP) -- A 76-year-old Washington state man released from prison after a prosecutor concluded he was wrongly convicted in the 1957 killing of a schoolgirl says he intends to sue Illinois for the suffering five years of imprisonment caused him and his family....
MINAMIASO, Japan (AP) -- U.S. airlifts delivered water, bread, ready-to-eat food and other emergency supplies Monday to a remote area of southern Japan stricken by two powerful earthquakes, as local rescuers searched for nine people still reported missing....
(Vatican Radio) In Ecuador, at least 273 people were killed and nearly 3,000 others injured in the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the country Saturday night. Officials say the death toll is likely to go even higher, as rescue efforts continue in a bid to reach the worst hit areas.At Sunday’s Regina Coeli, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the earthquake in Ecuador. He said, “May the help of God and of their brothers give them strength and support.”Listen to James Blears' report: The earthquake struck early Saturday evening. It's epicenter was 27kms to the southeast of the central coastal town of Musine in the Esmeraldas province.Initially a state of emergency was declared for six states, but President Rafael Correra, who has returned from an official visit to Italy, has extended it to envelop the entire country. The quake was so powerful that tremors have been felt in neighbouring Colombia and Peru. The town o...
(Vatican Radio) In Ecuador, at least 273 people were killed and nearly 3,000 others injured in the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the country Saturday night. Officials say the death toll is likely to go even higher, as rescue efforts continue in a bid to reach the worst hit areas.
At Sunday’s Regina Coeli, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the earthquake in Ecuador. He said, “May the help of God and of their brothers give them strength and support.”
Listen to James Blears' report:
The earthquake struck early Saturday evening. It's epicenter was 27kms to the southeast of the central coastal town of Musine in the Esmeraldas province.
Initially a state of emergency was declared for six states, but President Rafael Correra, who has returned from an official visit to Italy, has extended it to envelop the entire country.
The quake was so powerful that tremors have been felt in neighbouring Colombia and Peru.
The town of Pedenales has been mostly flattened and the search for survivors there and elsewhere is underway.
More than three thousand five hundred police including National Guard and more than 10,000 troops have been airlifted and bused to the worst affected areas, to help with rescues, as time is vitally important.
International aid is already arriving and more is on its way.
